Intuit ties QuickBooks to Demandforce marketing software

Intuit has integrated the online marketing software gained through its US$423.5 million acquisition of Demandforce with its QuickBooks accounting software, giving small businesses a way to make closer connections with customers, the company announced Thursday.

The move follows Intuit's US$423.5 million purchase of Demandforce earlier this year

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Intuit has integrated the online marketing software gained through its US$423.5 million acquisition of Demandforce with its QuickBooks accounting software, giving small businesses a way to make closer connections with customers, the company announced Thursday.

Small companies lack the resources to "market their business, tell their story and keep up regular communications with customers," said Patrick Barry, chief marketing officer for Demandforce. Those tasks have become more complex with the rise of the Internet, social media and mobile devices, he said.

The QuickBooks integration allows Demandforce to load customer and transaction data from QuickBooks into its cloud-based service and use it to create marketing campaigns and other forms of customer outreach.

For instance, Demandforce could send "thank you" emails automatically to customers after QuickBooks completes a transaction. The system can also build campaigns based on QuickBooks data showing which customers came into a business, what they bought, and how much they spent.

Demandforce is known for integrating with many industry-specific back-end systems used by small businesses such as dentist offices, repair shops and spas. But the Quickbooks integration expands DemandForce's reach to potentially millions of additional prospective users who have more general business processes, he said.

Demandforce is now available for the QuickBooks Pro, Premier and Online editions. Pricing information for Demandforce wasn't available, with monthly subscription costs varying according to a customer's size, according to Barry.

The Demandforce integration is the latest move by Intuit to cement QuickBooks' status as a go-to platform for small businesses, particularly those interested in cloud-based software. In September, Intuit announced that QuickBooks Online was available globally, thanks to tools that allow users to fine-tune it for their location.